GUJARAT ALKALIES & CHEM Share price

Gujarat Alkalies And Chemicals Limited (GACL) was promotedon 29 March 1973 by Gujarat Industrial InvestmentCorporation Ltd. (GIIC) (a Government of GujaratUndertaking) as a core promoter and is situated 16 km Northof Vadodara near village Ranoli on the main Railway trackroute between Ahmedabad and Bombay and very close to theIPCL Complex. The site enioys all the economic advantagesto optimise production.The Company''s main product lines are Caustic Soda Lye.Caustic Soda Flakes Liquid Chlorine Chlorine GasHydrogen Gas Hydrochloric Acid Caustic Potash andPotassium Carbonate. Methyl Chloride Methylene ChlorideChloroform and Carbon Tetrachloride and Sodium Cyanide.After laying the foundation in November 1974 the Companycommenced the commercial production of Caustic Soda inOctober 1976 with a capacity of 37425 MTPA.The first stage expansion of the Caustic Soda Plant raisingthe capacity to 70425 MTPA was undertaken in October 1981followed by a diversification programme to produce 2000MTPA of Sodium Cyanide in December 1982.In 1984 the second stage expansion to increase thecapacity of Caustic Soda Plant to 103425 MTPA wasundertaken. Simultaneously the Company undertook thediversification project for manufacture of 10560 MTPA ofChloromethanes using Chlorine a by-product of the Companyand in 1991 the capacity of Chloromethanes production wasdoubled. The Companys chloromethane facilities beganoperation in 1986 and provide further uses for theCompany''s output of chlorine. The Company''s chioromethaneproducts are used in photographic film manufacturingsolvents fluorocarbon refrigerants plastics areosolpropellants and pharmaceuticals.During 1989 the Company switched over about 68% of itsproduction of Caustic Soda from mercury Cell Process toMEMBRANE CELL PROCESS thereby increasing the capacity ofCaustic Soda to 132000 MT per annum reducing theproduction cost & pollution and improving the quality ofthe product. The Company also installed a salt washery toupgrade the quality of salt and thereby reduce brinepurification cost. The Membrane Cell process is an advancedenergy efficient and environment friendly processeliminating use of mercury.The Company added Sodium Hypochlorite and SodiumFerrocyanide to its productline the manufacturing processof which was developed by in-house Research and DevelopmentDepartment.In March 1994 the Company completed expansion of itscaustic soda capacity from 132000 MT per annum to148500 MT per annum and conversion of its caustic sodaplant from the Mercury Cells process to the more advancedMembrane Cells process. In conjuction with the expansionand conversion of its caustic soda plant the Company hasalso recently completed new facilities for the productionof 39450 MT per annum of Caustic Soda Flakes 16500 MTper annum of Potassium Hydroxide (which is generallyreferred to as caustic potash) and 15000 MT per annum ofPotassium Carbonate at a total cost of Rs.163.8 Crores.These products are manufactured utilizing the Membrane Celltechnology.